In March, I was published internationally in Vanity Fair UK, featuring travel photos from around South Australia. Simon and I travelled to China, Singapore and Europe, stopping by the Vogue offices in London to pick up some copies of the magazine

In May we moved to Darwin, and explored a number of spots in Darwin and the Northern Territory. I met some lovely Darwin families for both weddings and family photos, all while enjoying northern Australia’s tropical climate, culture and cuisine.

In October I went back to Adelaide for The AIPP Event, picking up all sorts of inspirations and making plans for bigger and better things for Urban Safari Photographer. I’ve just posted some photos from my last job in Darwin, and what a job it was! Short of meeting him, photographing the President of the USA and our own Australian Prime Minister was a completely awesome experience. Earlier in the year, I met Kevin Rudd, our foreign minister and ex-Prime Minister, so it’s been politicians all round!

With a number of friend’s weddings in Adelaide over the last 6 months, and 3 coming up in February, I shall be well prepared for my own after getting engaged on the last day of 2011 to my partner-in-crime, Simon. We were on a rock-climbing trip in the Blue Mountains, and took a rest day to see the Three Sisters and Katoomba Falls when he pulled out a little black box and a bit of bling! We are stoked and looking forward to planning our wedding for April, 2013.

2012 includes some exciting plans, including a stint in the snowy peaks of China, which I’m really looking forward to! Here’s to a great year ahead!

Caught up in the hustle on the press riser, I stood shoulder to shoulder with some very hard-working press photographers and news crews and felt very, very lucky to be inside that hangar, on the base, on that day.

KOTO is a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program that is changing the lives of street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. It stands for Know One Teach One – taking what you know and helping someone else by teaching them. These young people undertake a 2 year training course thanks to generous sponsors to learn food preparation and front-of-house hospitality. One of the reasons I went to Vietnam was to visit KOTO and meet the people involved, and to learn more about the socially-focussed business model. That in itself is worthy of press articles (and fingers crossed it will be) so I won’t delve into details but I do want to show off some delicious food that hopefully makes you think about KOTO when you’re next in Vietnam.

The food shots were taken in the front corner of the restaurant on a long communal table, with large windows providing all the light I needed. If you’d like to see these photos in use, please visit the Concubine website (and the restaurant, officially the best Chinese in Adelaide!).

Drinks were served on the lawns to distract guests from the changeover, as the church interior was transformed into a dining venue. Perfect for a cool July day! And if lunch wasn’t enough, after some photos down at the beach and in the city, the bride and groom had all their guests back to their house for dinner. Watching a bride still in her wedding dress cooking dinner for 12 is definitely a first for me!

Sadly, Kordula’s family are in Germany, and were unable to attend the wedding. She did have, however, two amazing friends who came all the way out to Australia for the weekend, just for the wedding. Dedicated witnesses I’ll say!

But by the time the ceremony rolled around, things had changed…

As the bridal party travelled to Glen Ewin Estate, in the Adelaide Hills, the clouds parted and the rays of sunshine did their best to dry the lawn before Rach walked down the aisle. The drizzle had all but disappeared and nothing could damped the mood of a very personal, and at times hilarious ceremony between two very deserving individuals.

As much as I hate 1am flights and cold weather, it is always great to come back to Adelaide and be part of a day such as this – to have a place card on a table, dance with the bride, and be thanked in the speeches! Weddings for friends are a special kind.